The Futile Smile
by She.Writer
Summary: They say 'it only takes a drop of water to cause a ripple effect'...in that case...what happens when blood gets poured all over you? A female psychology student is offered a rare chance to visit a highly proclaimed mental asylum for the criminally insane, but is it luck or misfortune that will follow her? An attempt at a realistic Jeff The Killer x Reader.
1. Prologue

They say ''it only takes a drop of water to cause a ripple effect''...in that case...what happens when blood gets poured all over you?

A female psychology student is offered a rare chance to visit a highly proclaimed mental asylum for the criminally insane, but is it luck or misfortune that will follow her?

During her stay she will meet many peculiar individuals, but only one who she'll never forget...

An attempt at a realistic -Jeff The Killer x Reader-

Every story has a beginning.

Mine began on a dark night, when a big bright moon loomed above overwhelming the stars.

I was sitting by a window in a bus that quietly rolled along the dirt road hitting bumps and humps.

While my face might not have shown it, I was nearly bursting from excitement on the inside.

You see, I'm one of 15 psychology students chosen to visit the most prestigious mental asylum in the entire country.

For an entire month!

This should not only prove to be an unforgettable experience, but should also be a great reference on my CV.

All 15 of us were told that we'd be given a tour of the asylum and each of us would be assigned our own individual rooms.

We'll even be given the chance to interact with patients themselves!

I felt like I'd won a golden ticket to a chocolate factory.

Sure...a mental asylum hardly sounds like something anyone should be getting hyper about, but this place is acclaimed for its high quality security. I should be in little to no danger at all and _I will be damned_ if I pass up this once in a lifetime chance!

After 4 hours on the road we came to a stop.

The bus driver announced that we'd finally arrived.

 _It's about time, I need to pee!_

I quickly retrieved my luggage and made my way out of the bus along with the other students.

A chilly breeze instantly began ruffling my hair and tugging at my clothes.

We stood in the clearing of a thick forest.

Our bus driver pointed at a nearby dirt road and instructed us to follow it, so we did.

It was a little scary to have to walk through a forest in the middle of the night, but soon enough the shape of an enormous building materialized in the darkness.

We approached its huge gates.

The sight was breathtaking...

All those pictures simply didn't do it enough justice...the asylum and especially the fence looked much grander and much more imposing than I had imagined.

I noticed that there were fully armed guards standing near the entrance gates.

That wasn't surprising however, it was my first time seeing a real gun or an asylum for that matter...

I shivered.

For a split second a heavy, ominous sensation began churning in the pit of my stomach, but I dismissed it as worry.

''You don't suppose this thing has a doorbell?'' a male student commented and I heard snickers until a loud ringing sound interrupted them.

The gate slowly creaked open and three people wearing white lab coats approached us. They all stood before us with straight backs and conducted themselves in a professional manner, like robots.

It was refreshing to see. .

''Welcome. You must all be tired after such a long trip. We will escort you to your rooms and begin the programme in the morning, once you have rested'' the only woman of the three said before turning around and walking back toward the asylum.

I gave the forest one final glance and then left it behind me following the rest of the group inside. . .

 **I wonder…**

 **How would my life have turned out if I had heeded the uneasiness I felt as I stood before the gates of hell...and just turned around and ran?**

 **Back then, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.**

 **But then again…if I _could_ take it all back. **

**Would I?**


	2. Chapter 1

Last night I had the first nightmare in a long time, although...as soon as I opened my eyes I forgot what it was about.

The digital clock showed |6:20am|

I rolled out of bed feeling quite satisfied with the quarters assigned to me.

It was nothing extravagant, just the way I like it - a moderate sized room that contained a wardrobe, a bed and a table with a chair in front of it.

I walked into the adjoining bathroom to wash up and then put on the new lab coat and an ID card that all visitors were given. We were told that we could keep them too, as souvenirs!

Woop!

I gave myself one final inspection in the mirror hoping that the day would turn out to be a good one.

1 week later.

A week had flown by since our arrival to the asylum and I'm not ashamed to say it's been the best week of my life.

We were given tours of the first two of the four floors, shown a bunch of documentaries, offered lots and lots of free hand-outs such as psychology books.

The nurses would chat with us and feed us tasty nutritious meals and best of all - we got treated as potential subordinates instead of minors!

Each night I would go to bed buried in all sorts of articles about various offenders residing in the building and look forward to what the next day would bring.

Our daily activities mainly consisted of having discussions or simply observing the patients.

Unfortunately, for now we were only allowed to have contact with the D and C class patients.

I found out that there are four classes of patients overall.

D, C, B and A class.

These classes signify a different level of danger that the patient poses to either themselves or others and each is assigned to a different floor.

A class criminals are the most dangerous and insane of the lot.

They reside on floor 4.

Nurses also mentioned that the first week is a sort of a 'trial run' for all visitors. The psychiatrists need to first ensure we are mentally stable enough to handle the lower class patients - as even their behaviour can get erratic at times.

This should help to prepare us for what is to come on the upper floors and I can respect that decision, they are held responsible for our well-being after all.

The most irrational patient I've met thus far has been an elderly C class lady who suffers from severe arachnophobia. Cognitive distortions would cause her to get panic attacks and despite being reassured that there are no spiders around she could rampage for up to 3 hours straight!

The reason she's here as a criminal is because during one of her 'phases' she accidentally set her apartment on fire. The fire spread injuring and nearly killing a 6 month old baby. Even though it was an accident; it was an accident that shouldn't happen again, so she was admitted and classed as a mild danger patient.

And so, a week had passed without any incidents and the next morning (8th day) we were finally offered the opportunity to ascend to floor 4.

Learning the backstories and experiences of these people was so incredibly interesting for me. I was absolutely delighted by the idea of meeting more of them so soon!

To my surprise however, we were told to split into two groups.

Group 1 would go to floor 4 and from there on, remain with the psychotherapists.

Group 2 would be those who do _not_ wish to go to floor 4. They would either remain on floor 2 or possibly move up to 3, but would no longer have access to floor 4.

I could not imagine why **anyone** would refuse to go to floor 4...until the nurses told us what happened in the last year's group.

While on floor 4, one of the students had disregarded the rules and wandered off without supervision.

She had gotten lost in the corridors and was only discovered the next morning - stuffed in a cupboard…mutilated.

''You should all be aware that even though there has only been one such incident in the past, the criminals contained on floor 4 are some of the most notorious our country has to offer and have committed the most horrendous offences imaginable ranging from rape to torture and murder. They will take any and every opportunity given to cause harm. If you believe that at any time you will have difficulty following orders, I suggest you choose to remain here'' a nurse warned.

''So if we choose to stay now, we will no longer be able to visit floor 4?'' a male student next to me questioned.

''Yes. If you choose to remain you will only be allowed access to the first 3 floors for the remainder of your time here'' the same nurse responded.

I was unsure of how to feel.

''So you're sayin' a girl was killed? I thought t'is place was supposed to have like, top security!? Why would any of us agree to go there now!?'' a blonde long haired girl with a thick accent questioned.

''I can answer that for you!'' a voice spoke up from behind us.

I turned around to see a middle aged man.

He was wearing a spotless white lab coat and had slightly receding ash brown hair which was perfectly combed to the side. He looked super important, probably one of the psychotherapists. [Remember him he will be important]

''I am Mr Aceberg. To answer your question, those of you who choose to come with me up to floor 4, will receive a personal recommendation from our boss and possibly even a potential job offer. I have to point out that we do get paid well up in floor 4, not to mention…it'll be fun!'' the man laughed.

After listening to various rules and instructions we'd be expected to follow, we were given some time to consider our options.

I sat on a nearby bench slurping some chocolate milk and watching the blond accent girl from before bombard Mr Aceberg with tons of angry questions.

My resolve had not been swayed though.

I simply _cannot_ pass up this opportunity.

I _will_ be going to floor 4, no matter what. I _do not_ intend to regret it!

 **But then again.**

 **You know what they say?**

 **Curiosity killed the cat…**


	3. Chapter 2

We had finally split into two groups.

I was surprised that only 6 people - including myself - decided to go up to floor 4. I was expecting a lot more to go...

The 6 of us followed Mr Aceberg into the lift.

He was humming to himself and looked like he didn't have a care in the world. Then again, considering how terrifying everyone made floor 4 sound, it wouldn't be ground breaking news if he'd gone slightly nuts by now.

I did _not_ expect to see the blond girl in the lift though. I was sure she wouldn't go.

 _Ding!_

The doors separated and a bright light briefly dazed me.

We exited the lift and I took in the surroundings.

We were standing in a long corridor and everything was coloured in the shades of white, grey and silver.

Now this place was certainly beginning to look like an asylum…

The others around me looked just as apprehensive as I felt until a loud clap cut through the silence.

''Now then, it's time to get to business! Let's go!'' Mr Aceberg chirped.

After walking for a short while, we arrived at a different looking corridor that had padded doors with numbers on them as well as guards with guns standing nearby.

I guessed this was where the criminals stayed and Mr Aceberg soon confirmed that thought. He encouraged us to peek inside the tiny but thick glass windows that each door had.

At first I jumped at the opportunity, but what I saw dampened my spirits.

The rooms were small, white and entirely padded to prevent self-harm. Some of the patients were even restrained with straitjackets.

The first patient I saw kept aimlessly wandering around the empty room, the second was bobbing back and forth, the third appeared to be crying and fourth tried to jump scare me by getting close to the door.

Reluctantly, I walked up to door **number 165**.

I saw a male lying curled up on the floor in the furthest corner of the room with his knees drawn up to his chest. He was wearing a straitjacket and black pants, I couldn't see his face though because it was obscured by long strands of raven black hair.

''Oooh! I see you found everyone's favourite! Jeffy boy!'' Mr Aceberg's voice startled me.

He walked up to the door and glanced through the window.

A disgusted expression found its way to his face.

''What did he do?'' I wondered out loud looking back at the black and white figure.

''Don't worry, you'll have a chance to find out from the man himself in due time! For now, let's leave the poor thing to rest, he has a toilet break in 30 minutes so he must be feeling slightly…constipated'' Mr Aceberg said and then simply walked away.

I could tell his words were intended to mock and that sent a cold shiver down my back.

I started feeling really, really uncomfortable.

'These people are trapped, this is their life and yet, here I am watching them through glass for entertainment, as if they're some sort of animals in a zoo…this is so wrong.'

Upon realizing this, I no longer felt like looking through the windows, so I simply waited until everyone else was done.

After what felt like an eternity we arrived at a staffroom.

We were given cups of hot coffee and allowed to rest our legs while the staff introduced themselves to us.

After the brief resting period, the 6 of us were once again split into two smaller groups of 3.

I was placed with the angry blonde girl and some guy with sideburns. Our group would be supervised by Mr Aceberg who informed us that starting tomorrow we'd be introduced to some of the patients.

I felt…excited I suppose.

3 days later.

We spent the next three days visiting various patients while they were in different stages of their daily activities. I have to admit, it was incredibly interesting.

One patient in particular got stuck in my mind.

 **Patient 166 - Jane Arkensaw.**

We arrived just in time to watch an injection of nutrients get administered to her. She was secured to a bed with leather belts while the doctors pierced a needle into her arm. She briefly made eye contact with me. Her hair was long black and curly...or maybe it was a wig? And her face was brown and disfigured…it looked like the aftermath of burns.

I couldn't believe how young she was though.

She appeared to be of the same age group as me, so similar and yet so _very_ different.

Mr Aceberg told us a little about her and showed us a white mask which she used to wear during her murder sprees before getting administered to the hospital.

It had splatters of dry blood all over it…

My 4th day on floor 4 was coming to a close and we had learnt all sorts of new information about the medicine used to treat patients and their daily routines.

Not to mention, we were finally beginning to relax. Two days ago I couldn't even brush my teeth without being on edge.

''Well then, glad to see that all three of you are still in one piece!'' Mr Aceberg joked causing the blonde girl (whose name I found out to be Lauren) to scoff.

''You know what, since you've all been obedient today I will reward you. I'll introduce you to my favourite patient in the entire hospital, how about it?''

''Whatever, but that better mean you'll let us get some proper sleep tomorrow'' Lauren sassed. I sighed. She had that high school bitch vibe down in aces.

''Sure sure, lets go! It's been a while since I've paid him a visit!''

We followed Mr Aceberg down the corridor.

We arrived at a huge, metal reinforced door.

Instead of a key it required a code.

''This is where psychotherapy sessions take place as well as interrogations at times'' Mr Aceberg explained and unlocked the door with a press of six digits.

Before entering I noticed a plate next to the door that said –

Session in progress. Patient 165. Do not disturb!

The room seemed to be busy at the moment, but I didn't want to get left behind while spacing out, so I followed the others inside.

On the left side of the room there was a large two-way mirror that nearly covered the entire wall. It was looking into a brightly lit room which resembled the standard white, padded patient rooms only bigger. There was a smaller metal door connecting the two rooms as well as a great deal of TVs, wires, buttons and other technology everywhere.

The sideburn guy from my group (whose name I found out to be Rick) gasped.

''This is amazing! So advanced! I bet this is where all the questioning gets recorded!'' he squeaked pointing out multiple cameras within the room.

I noticed that there were three other adults wearing lab coats already in the room and they didn't look pleased.

''Aceberg? What are you doing here? Did you not see the notice outside?'' one of the men grumbled.

''I did, but you see...I'm showing these three around and I can't afford to let them miss out on the most interesting place in the entire hospital'' Mr Aceberg responded.

''Aceberg! You may have a higher position than us, but you will not disrespect us in this way-''

''-You're exactly right! I do have a higher position than you, which means you ca-''

The men raised their voices at each other and I turned away, focusing on something other than their pathetic ego-driven squabble.

I noticed that there was someone behind the glass sitting in the very centre of the room

Curiously, I walked closer to the glass to observe the person.

I recognized him!

He was the black haired man I saw lying in the cell a while ago. I still couldn't see his face because he was hunching over, but I recalled his name to be Jeff.

He was wearing a straitjacket, but didn't appear to be restrained in any other way and was sitting on a normal brown chair.

''-Fine Aceberg! Do what you want as always, but if you keep this up for much longer you will lose your position sooner or later! I guarantee it!'' the man shouted and grabbed his briefcase ''-and when that day comes, you will receive no sympathy from me you crazy bastard!'' he finished and stormed out of the room, followed by the two others.

''Language! Language!'' Mr Aceberg's overly dramatic voice followed.

I could tell there was a great deal hostility between the two men, but I didn't really care.

''Now that that's out of the way, for the main attraction of the day!'' Mr Aceberg sung walking up to the glass and pressing a button on one of the keyboards.

The glass appeared to turn a shade lighter.

He then pressed another button and spoke ''wakey wakey Jeffery boy! You have visitors!''

The raven haired male twitched and slowly began raising his head.

 **That day, a sequence of events was set in stone.**

 **Because by the time our eyes had met.**

 **It was already…far too late.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note -** WARNING \- There will be a lot of profanity and violence in this chapter, but also finally some action!

The raven haired male slowly raised his head.

He looked straight at Mr Aceberg with an expression one could only describe as pure hatred.

That look…

He resembled a predator observing its prey.

Before I could properly even register his appearance, his eyes trailed across the two other members of my group...one by one…scrutinizing them, before landing on me.

My body froze and I held my breath. I thought this was a two-way mirror!

His skin was pure white like paper, his eyes looked wide and dark and his mouth appeared to have been cut open at the sides because both of his cheeks were stitched together, but the scariest part of it all was how inappropriately my body reacted.

My heart started pounding erratically and I felt incredible hotness crawl up my chest all the way to my cheeks.

I broke the eye contact, quickly looking down at the ground.

 _D-did I seriously just blush?!_ I internally freaked while trying to simultaneously steady my irregular breathing.

''Oh my gosh! What the hell is up with his face!?'' the blond Lauren shouted taking a step back from the glass.

''Calm down! I know it takes a little getting used to, but you don't want to hurt his feelings do you?'' Mr Aceberg commented casually stretching his arms.

''So anyway, Jeff! How are you faring old friend, you look a little skinny. I trust they've been force feeding you well? Tree meals a day and all!''

Jeff appeared to say something, but no sound could be heard.

''Oh silly me, I forgot!'' Mr Aceberg laughed and pressed yet another button which I assumed enabled the microphone ''could you repeat that Jeffy?''

''Sure…Fuck you, you fucking piece of shit'' a low raspy voice growled.

Mr Aceberg went silent for a couple of seconds before laughing.

''I see you're as foul mouthed as ever! You could at least pretend to be nice Jeffy, if you want your visitors to like you!''

''Choke on shit and die'' was the response he got...

I cringed at the choice of words.

He really doesn't have a filter does he…

Mr Aceberg sighed running a hand through his hair and then laughed for the nth time that day. I could tell he was getting frustrated, even though he was trying to hide it.

''This is why it's impossible to have a civil conversation with you dear boy. Anyhow! This is Lauren, Rick and OC!'' he introduced us.

''Suuure, tell a bloody murderer our names why don't you! Waaay to go!'' Lauren spoke in her usual angry-sarcastic tone.

''You really need to calm down dear girl. It doesn't matter what I tell him because he's not going anywhere, ever. He has been locked up here for almost two years now, I could tell him aliens are invading and poor Jeffy wouldn't know any better!'' Mr Aceberg laughed as if he'd just made the funniest joke ever.

I did not like what I heard…

His demeaning words made me remember seeing Jeff lying on the floor all alone, in that tiny white room.

 _For two years…? What kind of life is that?_

If I was in his shoes, hearing something like that would not help my sanity at all and **aren't we here to help…not to harm further?**

I don't know what came over me, but I felt the need to say something, so I did.

''Patients rarely if ever remain in the institution all their lives...there's also a possibility for him to shorten his term through consistent cooperation not to mention patients are legally required to have access to daily news if requested, so it is extremely unlikely he'd believe an alien invasion'' I blabbed.

Mr Aceberg chuckled. I glared at him.

''Well, well. If I didn't know any better I'd assume you tried defending little Jeffy just now''

''I did! Because you lied'' I shot back.

He gave me a blank stare.

''Oh…of course, I haven't told you guys yet have I? Of course not…of course...''

His demeanour had changed.

''Do you know why he's here in the first place?'' he asked in a low voice.

''We don't'' Rick answered, obviously aware of the sudden tense atmosphere.

''Nine years ago, Jeff over there slaughtered his entire family including his young brother. He was only thirteen at the time. For the next seven years he went on a killing spree killing around 50 people and injuring many more. No one knows how he survived or where he hid all this time, but he avoided capture for a very long time…'' Mr Aceberg took a deep shaky breath ''he was only apprehended two years ago…but not before having murdered my wife and son.''

The room fell into deadly silence.

I didn't know what to say…I had no idea…

Before I could say anything however, Jeff burst out into maniacal laughter.

''HAHAHAHA! WHAT A GREAT STORY! MY FAVOURITE! HA! ESPECIALLY WHEN **YOU** TELL IT YOU MISERABLE FILTHY PIG! HAHAHA-'' Jeff roared.

The speakers produced a piercing ringing sound. I had to shut my eyes and cover my ears from the sudden noise.

When I opened my eyes I saw that Mr Aceberg had unlocked the metal door and was walking into the room where Jeff was sat.

He made his way straight towards the laughing man and as soon as he reached him, he punched him square in the temple knocking him off of the chair. The three of us watched as Mr Aceberg began brutally kicking Jeff anywhere and everywhere.

A hard kick to the stomach cut Jeff's laughter off.

Time seemed to slow down.

 _This was wrong…_

He had every right to be angry, but…not like this!

 _This is wrong!_

Snapping out of my daze I charged towards the metal door.

''You two! Go call for help! NOW!'' I shouted running straight into the cell and towards the assault.

 _This cannot be justified!_

''Stop it! Don't do this!'' I screamed at Mr Aceberg.

He sent yet another harsh kick straight to Jeff's jaw causing his body to fly from the impact and smash back onto the ground covering the white room with crimson blood splatters.

Adrenaline took over and I grabbed the back of Mr Aceberg's coat pulling him back as hard as I could.

He wouldn't budge.

The enraged man raised his leg, ready to deliver another kick.

 _He's going to kill him!_

I went for plan B.

I stumbled towards Jeff grabbing him and shielding him with my body.

The kick collided with my back and wind was knocked out of me for a second.

''MOVE BITCH!'' Mr Aceberg screeched like a wild animal grabbing me by the hair and pulling.

''N-no! You can't do this! You're not allowed to put your hands on the patients!'' I screeched right back.

I felt a large amount of warm blood soak into my shoulder. He had probably broken Jeff's nose or ruptured a vein or something. Jeff's body was also a great deal bigger than mine , so I wouldn't be able to shield him for long.

I screamed for help.

Hot tears were most definitely flooding my face by now.

''How can you protect this monster!? After everything I've told you!''

''H-he's not a m-monster! He's a h-human-n being, like you!'' I cried clinging onto Jeff with all my strength.

A human being shouldn't do such a thing to another human being!

''What is going on here!? ACEBERG!? LET HER GO THIS INSTANT!'' an unfamiliar voice commanded.

Mr Aceberg pushed my head forward most likely ripping a good deal of hair from the scalp in the process.

I buried my face in Jeff's shoulder attempting to calm my sobbing.

 **I thought it was over, but that was only the beginning…**


	5. Chapter 4

''WHAT HAPPENED HERE!?'' the unknown man from before shouted.

''A-Aceberg got angry and entered the cell. OC ran in after him to stop him from beating his patient to death! That's what!'' I heard a voice I recognized as Rick's stutter, audibly shaken.

''OC? Oh! One of the students? This will not go unpunished Aceberg…''

I heard a hissing sound like that of a walkie-talkie ''Miss Cutler call medics to 4B36 this instant! Who is the prisoner?''

''165...Jeffrey Woods'' Aceberg replied devoid of any emotion.

. . .

After a short silence the unknown man spoke once more.

''OC…place him down on the ground and move away…slowly.''

The warning tone in his voice reminded me that I was currently clutching onto an A class murderer.

I tried calming myself and raised my head to examine the situation.

In the confusion I had pretty much leaped to grab him in time.

Our legs were entangled and one of my hands was wrapped around his back holding him up in a seating position while the other was draped around his shoulder supporting the back of his neck.

From the corner of my eye I could see that his head was lying on top of my left shoulder which was now completely drenched with blood.

 _He must have fainted..._

I could feel droplets of warm blood dribbling down my chest nonstop.

He was still bleeding.

''I…I think his j-jaw or n-nose may be broken'' I stuttered.

''Don't worry about that right now, just get away from him'' the unknown man ordered.

He was right.

Ever so slowly I relaxed my grip and tried moving my hand away from Jeff's neck, but froze mid-movement when I felt a strange wet sensation on my own.

Confused I tried to turn my head, but the sensation got stronger.

''Jeff don't…you know what's going to happen to you if you harm another member of the faculty.''

The sensation stopped.

''She's not a member of the faculty though is she...''

 _He's conscious!_

Suddenly I realized, that the weird sensation I'd felt…was him biting the carotid artery of my neck.

My mouth went completely dry, I couldn't swallow.

I felt his lips touch my neck once again. In this position he could easily rip my throat open with his teeth.

Instead, he slowly licked a hot wet trail from my neck up to my jaw.

I didn't move a hair even though my heart began thundering like crazy.

''...Oh?'' Jeff's body vibrated a little from what I assumed was a silent laugh ''don't worry…I have other plans for you…'' he whispered in my ear.

I shivered.

The sound of rushed footsteps filled the air and soon enough nurses in white were surrounding us.

They carefully lifted him out of my grasp.

I was hit by a sudden wave of coldness and dizziness as soon as our bodies separated.

The last thing I remember seeing before passing out were his wide, crazed eyes looking at me…

I awoke in a soft hospital bed, still in the asylum.

Fortunately, other than having slept for almost an entire day, lost a couple of hairs and gained a light bruise on my back, I had no other injuries.

I was visited by the owner of the unknown voice that had stopped Mr Aceberg and called the medics. He turned out to be the ''boss'' [for a lack of better word] of this asylum - Mr Owen...although he was nothing at all like what I had expected. His eyes were a warm shade of brown and he was constantly smiling and appeared very concerned about my well-being.

Weirdly enough…I didn't feel any aftershock. In fact, I felt better than ever!

Mr Owen told me that Mr Aceberg will definitely be punished for his actions however, it may take time due to various different circumstances such as confidentiality issues and so on.

I didn't really mind.

''Is there anything you'd like to ask? Or perhaps a drink?'' Mr Owen offered with a kind smile.

''Well…I was wondering...what happened t-to Jeff?'' I finally asked.

Our encounter was still raw in my memory and this question had been bugging me from the moment I opened my eyes.

''Right now he is being treated by the nurses however, he awoke before you did and I personally confirmed that he is making a fast recovery although…'' he trailed off.

''What is it?'' something was clearly bothering him.

''Jeff suggested something that really peeked our interest. You see…he is not known for being talkative during the discussion sessions. In fact, he hardly ever responds and when he does it's a swearword of some sorts. However, when I visited him he told me that he would be willing to start talking. Willing to tell us about his past…''

'' **Would** be willing? Does that mean there's a condition?''

''Indeed. He said that he would only participate in discussions with _you_.''

''…W-what? With me? B-but I- why would he want to do that!? I have nothing to do with him!''

Mr Owen shook his shoulders with a defeated look.

''I don't know, but what I do know is that he has never made offers such as this before and to put it plainly…if this were to work out it may give us crucial insight into his mind. We have very little information on him so far, but you are under no obligation to do anything and are free to leave the asylum at any time, you only need to let me know and I'll prepare a ride f-''

''-did he really say that?'' I cut him off even to my surprise.

''He did indeed. I don't know if it's because of what you did yesterday or maybe he thinks he can try to manipulate you in some way, but this is a great opportunity none the less. Of course you'd be allowed to stop at any time!''

Unconsciously, my hand traveled to the left side of my neck.

 _This could be dangerous._

 _But…isn't this what I wanted? To meet people like Jeff?_

 _To try and hold a down to earth conversation with them and understand the thoughts behind their actions?_

''You make a convincing argument...'' I whispered.

Mr Owen's face lit up.

''So you're willing to consider it? Having one-on-one sessions with him?''

''No. I'm willing to give it a try'' I smiled.

2 days later. 

2 days had passed since the incident and I had made a full recovery.

During that time Mr Owen taught me the fundamental knowledge I may need to know when engaging in discussions with Jeff.

So far the only information they've gathered is that Jeff is a murderer with no feelings of guilt, he does not sympathize with others and does not conform to social norms.

His behaviour is extremely unpredictable and is characterized by sudden mood swings that are mainly violent.

They also identified that there may be some sort of a connection between him and another patient I had previously seen – Jane Arkensaw. However, that is only a speculation drawn from **her** words.

Finally, Jeff is known to physically attack psychotherapists and will use any opening given to elicit anger or manipulate the conversation.

Any unsupervised physical contact with him is extremely discouraged.

Before arriving, his method of killing used to be the use of a knife to stab people to death with and his body count is 53 as far as the police are aware.

There have only been three known survivors of his attacks however, none of them have had much information to provide apart from Jeff's attire during the attacks: white hoodie and black pants.

''That's pretty much everything we know about him so far…'' Mr Owen finished.

''You haven't told me how you managed to capture him yet'' I pointed out.

''You're right! I forgot the most important detail as always! He was arrested on October 23. I wish I could say that it was due to the teamwork and bravery of our police officers however, it was nothing of the sort. Truth be told…we aren't even fully sure about the circumstances surrounding the arrest, but from what I've heard, it's almost as if he surrendered himself.''

''I don't understand.''

''There were no clues, no forensic evidence, no solid leads other than half-baked witness testimony. He just appeared out of nowhere one day! It's possible that he would've even gotten a not guilty verdict if he hadn't pleaded guilty and well...his face. He pretty much convicted himself…it was the most disturbing hearing I've ever attended.''

I stayed silent.

There was so much mystery around him.

Thinking back, I did remember seeing news reports about a mysterious murderer who strikes people in their own homes however, I never paid much attention to it, I was too busy with schoolwork.

I wish I had though.

I took a deep breath and gave a little laugh.

''Well, I suppose that makes me very fortunate considering what happened'' I said attempting to lighten the atmosphere a little.

''About that…you have no idea how surprised the staff are. They can't believe he just let you go, especially those who've had the pleasure to work with him before. Anyhow, are you sure you want to do this OC? If you're sure we can begin the first session tomorrow.''

''Yeah. Like I said, I'm willing to give it a try'' I replied with a smile.

For some reason I felt really comfortable around Mr Owen.

He truly is a respectable psychotherapist and I don't want to disappoint him. I will do my best to get some information out of Jeff.

 **Plus, what's the worst that could happen?**

 **. . . . .**


	6. Chapter 5

I'm willing to give it a try – is what I said 3 days ago however, it's easier said than done…

I've always been a person that worries.

I worry about even the most insignificant of things, but coming face to face with an A class murderer would give _anybody_ a good enough reason for worry.

A new lab coat was handed to me and I was separated from the rest of my group. Rick and Lauren were assigned to the other group and I don't know what happened to Mr Aceberg, but I couldn't hate him for what he did…because I could somewhat understand why he did it.

Jeff is a killer.

He doesn't care for the feelings of others.

He doesn't feel the same things we do, but that's exactly what I'm so curious about.

Sure, it may be explainable by science, but surely he must also have a conscience. I want to understand why…and how he reached this point.

And now, I've been given the chance.

Mr Owen and I entered a dimly lit room.

It was a medium sized room with a long dark brown table in the middle and two chairs on either side like something out of a detective movie.

''This is where your discussions will take place for the time being as the usual room is not available just yet'' Mr Owen informed and I nodded in understanding.

 _Probably due to all the blood…_

One of the chairs was much sturdier-looking than the other and appeared to be attached to the ground. It also had lots of belts fastened to it.

I concluded that is where Jeff will be sitting.

Mr Owen handed me a notepad and placed a hand on my shoulder.

''I'm glad you decided to do this. Just remember, there is no pressure. Jeff does not see us as people, to him we are in his own words, lab rats. So please don't take whatever he says to heart and do what you can to follow the list of questions I've given you'' he encouraged me.

''Where will you be?''

''I, along with a couple other members of the staff will be in the room next door. There is a camera and a microphone monitoring your exchange, if anything goes wrong I'll be back.''

I heard noise come from outside the room.

''They're bringing him here. Don't worry and do your best'' Mr Owen squeezed my shoulder for the final time and then walked to the door.

 _He's so caring...like a father figure._

He opened the door and soon enough Jeff was led into the room with two nurses holding him. His eyes instantly found mine with an unblinking stare, but this time I held his gaze.

''Jeff this is OC. She doesn't officially work here, but has agreed to see you. Since this is your first session together you will only be given 30 minutes. I hope you keep your word Jeff…'' Mr Owen introduced while the two nurses secured the said man to the chair.

Having to wear a straitjacket all the time looked painful. I wondered what he does when something itches...

There were also no bruises on his face, he appeared to have fully healed from the incident with Mr Aceberg.

''Ok. We will be leaving the two of you now. Take care'' Mr Owen said and all three professionals exited the room.

I was left alone with him.

Calmly, I sat on the chair opposite of him and stared at the first instruction.

 **Session Number #1.**

Step 1 – Introduce yourself.

I cleared my throat ''my name is-''

''-I know'' he cut me off.

''Ok. I'm uh...17 years old and currently I study psychology'' I tried.

He didn't say anything.

Ok! That's that!

Next!

Step 2 – Ask him/her to introduce themselves.

''So, can you tell me a little about yourself?'' I asked.

It felt so extremely awkward, like an interview.

''I'm Jeff and I like carving beautiful smiles into the faces of ugly lying shits" he said and I wished he was being sarcastic, but that wasn't the case...

You don't hear **that** everyday alright…I was tempted to ask what that makes him since he also has a smile carved into his cheeks, but decided against it…

''How old are you?''

''22''

Ok! Now we're getting somewhere!

''When is your birthday?''

''Don't remember.''

''…''

Step 3 – Ask him if he has any hobbies.

I...got the feeling that he kinda already gave me the answer to that, so I'll tell him about mine instead.

''I like reading books and drawing'' I said.

''And I don't care.''

''. . .''

Step 4 – Ask him if he likes animals.

 _What the hell!? What even are these questions!?_

''Do you like animals?''

''No.''

Well this is going _greaaat_ so far!

Step 5 – As-''And you?'' he suddenly spoke.

He asked me a question!

 _I assume he's referring to whether I like animals?_

''Yeah. I-I suppose I do" I stuttered and lowered my notepad giving him 100% of my attention.

Maybe we'll finally get somewhere!

He tilted his head and his smile widened.

''Really? And yet you have no trouble living your life knowing that they are killed all around you every day. Caged and beaten. Slaughtered and eaten. By the very beings you pretend to care _so_ much about. So tell me...what's the difference if I do it to you? Why can't I slaughter those _I_ consider to be animals for my own enjoyment?''

''Because-''

''-Because humans aren't the same as animals? But can you _really_ say they don't act like animals? Can you really claim your purpose isn't to eat, shit and fuck? Just like an animal.''

''…I can't. But that doesn't mean we deserve a painful dea-''

''-And yet pigs do?''

''Pigs can't talk. They don't feel the emotions we d-''

''-So it's ok for them to be butchered for meat?''

''N-no! That's not what I meant!''

''Do you **really** believe that there is a single human out there that isn't selfish? You people live your lives only **truly** caring about your own fucking safety and yet you pretend to be above the likes of me. It's disgusting.''

''But-''

''So then tell me, why do you condemn my actions as wrong? There is so many of you! What's so wrong about killing those that only waste space? I'll tell you…it's because you fear it will happen to **you** or those you _think_ you love, but deep down you don't really give a fuck about strangers…as long as it doesn't happen to you-'' that was it!

I jumped up from my chair dropping the notepad and slammed my hands onto the desk.

''YOU'RE NOT LETTING ME SPEAK!'' I screamed ''STOP GUESSING MY THOUGHTS!''

He simply stared at me, unphased.

''You asked me why you can't slaughter those you consider animals…but assumed my answer would be something I _wasn't_ going to say!''

''Then please…enlighten me...why **can't** I dispose of all you pieces of shit!?'' he growled.

''It's not about why you **can't** do it because you can! It's about why you **shouldn't**! And my main purpose isn't to eat, shit and f-f-fuck! It's to live!'' I screamed and hot angry tears started rolling down my cheeks.

I understood that I was getting way too worked up, but he is wrong! He completely contradicts himself! Everything he says is wrong!

And yet…is it really...?

Deep down I couldn't deny that I was scared. Scared of someone causing me physical pain, scared of those that think differently than me and scared of loss, but still…

I _had_ to tell him what I believe!

'' _You_ are the weak one here! It's easy to cause someone pain, but much harder to stop it! Going by your own logic we are all liars and pretenders so we should just start killing each other to make things better? That makes no sense! If you truly believe what you say, doesn't that make you no better than us?'' I took a deep breath.

I wasn't done yet!

''If everyone started thinking the way you do, there would be no reason left to live, so if you **truly** think people are selfish and worthless, then why are _you_ still here causing others pain!? I-if you can't fake love, then GET LOST!''

Suddenly, Jeff erupted into loud high-pitched laughter and started squirming around in his chair.

''Y-you! YOU JUST TOLD ME TO DIE! The innocent little princess told me to go die! AHAHAHA!''

Blood started flowing from his mouth. The stitches were probably coming undone from all the laughter.

I took a step back, taken aback by his sudden outburst.

I didn't know what to do.

Fortunately, Mr Owen burst through the door just in time followed by the two nurses.

''That's enough for today! Take him away!'' he ordered.

The nurses obliged undoing the belts and grabbing Jeff from both sides. With a lot of effort they managed to drag him toward the door while he thrashed around in their grasp, laughing like a maniac.

I stood there watching the commotion until I realized…I had made a mistake.

 **I played right into his hands…**


	7. Chapter 6

**Fire.**

 **There was fire all around me. Everywhere I looked.**

 **Furious heat scalded my skin and black smoke filled my lungs.**

 **I couldn't breathe.**

 **I started to run, but my legs felt heavy.**

 **Left. Right. Straight ahead. There was no way out…**

 **The flames ate me alive.**

I opened my eyes.

 _…That was only a nightmare, but it felt so real._

A layer of sticky cold sweat had covered my body and I was certain I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, so I decided to get up.

17 days have passed since my arrival at the asylum.

This experience has been nothing like my normal life, sometimes I even forget that I'd eventually have to return to my boring routine...

I washed up and got dressed, but since I had woken up early, there was still a lot of free time left before my second session with Jeff.

I made myself comfortable in the bed and thought about what happened yesterday.

Once Jeff had been dragged away by the nurses, Mr Owen began praising me.

He jokingly commented that perhaps it should've been me tied to the chair instead and that Jeff has never expressed such strong opinions on people before.

He said our discussion had gone really well, but I disagreed.

I had gotten too emotional and acted like an immature brat. I screamed and cried and tried to force my opinions on him.

I was supposed to be there to help him...and yet I didn't even _try_ to understand his point of view. How could I possibly expect him to accept mine then?

It was selfish. _I_ was selfish.

In the end, all my actions did was prove him right.

Ha!

I bet if he hadn't been bound to that chair, I would've been as quiet as a mouse...or dead.

How frustrating!

I had gotten so angry and embarrassed that I even considered refusing any further discussions, but fortunately I told Mr Owen that I'd do it, only as long as Jeff agrees to it too. To my surprise, that same evening Mr Owen informed me that Jeff had in fact agreed to see me again.

This time things would be different though.

I will _not_ let him get under my skin!

3 hours later.

I sat in the discussion room fiddling with my pen.

Jeff would be arriving any minute and I had no idea how our exchange would turn out, but I had devised a small plan to try and get information out of him.

I heard noise outside the room.

The door opened and he appeared.

I quickly rose from the chair and greeted the nurses who'd brought him. Just like before, they strapped him to the chair and then left the room.

I was ready.

He sat in front of me, simply staring at me with a smile on his face, though I doubt it was a happy smile...

I noticed how wide his shoulders were.

He was quite a bit older than me too and yet here I was, a mere student who thinks she has any right to scream at an adult man and tell him what's right and wrong.

I didn't even have any qualifications for this…but I had to _at least_ give it a try.

''Before we begin, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I had no right to act the way I did, however you are obviously not stupid so you must understand _why_ others would get upset over what you said. Tell me, do you enjoy being here? Was hurting people worth it?'' I got straight to the point.

I will no longer avoid the deep questions , that **is** the reason I'm here after all.

'' _Are you fucking serious?_ '' his voice resembled a growl.

He lifted his head up and grinned down at me ''you know…I met a girl once. A pathetic little goody-two shoes who thought the world was all rainbows and butterflies. I hated her and yet, I have to admit _even she_ looked beautiful with her face split open.''

''She's a human being! You're insane!''

''And you're pointing out the obviouusss~'' he chuckled.

''So you are saying you _don't_ regret what you've done then'' I stated rather than asked.

''Oooh~ we've got a bloody genius over here!'' he laughed.

This was funny to him!

He was finding this humorous!

I felt sick.

I decided it was time to try out my plan.

I placed the notepad down on the table and leaned in closer.

''Ok…obviously I don't share your fascination, so will you tell me _in detail_ what it is that you find so enjoyable about hurting others? I simply can't understand it'' I asked in all seriousness.

It was a horrible question, but one that I _needed_ to find an answer to.

I needed to understand _his_ thoughts, not _mine_.

''. . .'' Jeff appeared to be considering my words until I heard a knock.

I leaned back and glared at the door...not that I felt interrupted or anything…¬_¬

Mr Owen's head peeked through a gap.

''OC, could I borrow you for a moment?'' he beckoned me over.

I politely excused myself and left the room.

He closed the door behind me.

''Is something wrong?'' I asked.

''No, not at all. We just noticed you weren't following the steps provided. Patients like Jeff are very sensitive and easily get out of control, are you sure you know what you're doing?'' he asked and I felt slightly insulted.

''Well…last time, when I asked him pre-set questions, I gave him an opening to take control of the conversation. I thought asking him something that he can't twist his way out of might be better, but if it doesn't work out I'll get back to the original questions'' I explained.

Mr Owen nodded with a smile on his face.

''I understand. You will make a fine psychologist one day'' he complimented and then ushered me back into the room.

I clumsily took a seat.

His compliment had left me feeling extremely embarrassed.

''Your face looks stupid'' I heard Jeff comment, but I ignored it and got back to the topic at hand.

''Will you answer my question now?''

''You wanted to know why I enjoy killing people? …It's because I _just do_. I love seeing their repulsive faces twist in fear. I love the feeling I get when I plunge my fucking knife into their throat...colour red **is** my favourite after all!'' he spoke and gave a low sinister laugh.

 _He meant every single word…_

I quickly grabbed for the notepad.

 _Mr Owen was right! I can't handle conversations like these just yet._

It scared me... . .

I located the question I'd stopped at previously.

Step 5 – Ask him/her….what their favourite colour is.

It's red…next.

Step 6 – Ask what their favourite smell is.

I imagined it'd be something like 'the smell of fear' or 'the smell of blood in the morning' either way...I had a bad feeling about this one. Neeext!

Step 7 – Ask him/her if they prefer sweet or sugary food.

WHAT?

I skimmed through the rest of the questions until I found one that caught my attention.

Step 23 – Ask if he/she has ever been in a romantic relationship.

I ogled at the question.

 _They actually ask stuff like this!?_

I couldn't deny, I **was** curious...but perhaps it's a bit too early for questions like these?

I looked up at Jeff who was silently watching me.

His eyes were unsettling...almost as if they could see right through me.

I glanced down at the stitches on his cheeks.

 _I wonder what he looked like without them..._

Anyway!

We were getting nowhere by just staring at each other and time was running out, so I decided I'd just go for it.

''H-have y-you e-ever-*COUGH*'' I full-on stammered.

Thankfully I somewhat covered my fail with a smooth cough.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?_

 _Finding out about his past relationships is vital, it's not like I'm asking him on a date or anything!_

I managed to recollect myself and tried again ''have you ever been in…in….in a…'' this was turning out to be much harder than it was supposed to be ''...in a relationship?'' I finally managed to squeeze the words out.

''Depends on what is meant by relationship...'' he replied with a sly smirk.

''I mean, have you ever shared romantic feelings with someone else. Cared about their safety and well-being?''

He started laughing.

''I have little interest in stupid shit like that. Why should I care about worthless bags of flesh when I can CUT THEM UP INSTEAD!?''

I kind of expected to hear that…

''So you've never loved anyone? What **do** you associate with the word 'love' anyway?'' I pressed on.

The smile on his lips faded for a moment and he looked me straight in the eyes.

''Lies.''

. . .

For some reason...

My heart skipped a beat. 

. . .


	8. Chapter 7

After our second session together Mr Owen walked me back to my room and allowed me to rest for the day, but I was by FAAARRR not in a resting state.

The first thing I did as soon as the door closed was - freak out.

I ran into my room throwing my shoes in every direction and frog jumped into the bed face-first onto a pillow.

 _What the hell!? What's happening to me?_

I squeezed the pillow attempting to calm my burning cheeks.

For some reason, my body kept reacting unbecomingly to Jeff.

I felt that there might have been a deeper meaning behind his answer such as a memory from a traumatic past experience having resurfaced and yet...I could no longer speak. I couldn't question him further.

I was frozen...

 _But **why** does he have such a strong effect on me? _

_From the moment I first saw him, up until now._

 _Could I possibly...-_

Enraged I bolted up and threw my fists at the poor pillow trying to punch out all these deviant ideas.

 _No way in hell!_

 _I'd have to be unhinged!_

Having wasted all my energy on the attack, I sunk into the bed and blankly stared at the ceiling.

 _...What am I even doing?_

 _Why in the world am I acting like this...?_

 _No matter, I will be leaving soon anyway…time for sleep._

I stood in an empty hallway.

I looked around.

The building appeared to be very old. Wallpaper was peeling away from the cracked walls which were on the verge of collapse and there was nobody around other than me and my shadow.

I felt alone.

Darkness crept closer to me. Engulfing me entirely.

I needed to get out, to get away from there! It was dangerous and yet...I was unwilling.

My body resisted my better judgement. . .

All of a sudden a rough force pulled me backwards against what felt like an ice-cold body and a strong arm gripped me, preventing escape.

I barely had any time to think when another hand snaked its way down my waist and…past it.

My eyes instantly shot down.

To my utter shock, a pale masculine hand stopped right in between my legs.

An unexpected yet pleasurable sensation traveled up my spine making me arch it.

I panicked.

I attempted to back away from the hand, but ended up pushing myself closer to the muscular frame behind me.

My eyes slowly trailed up the hand and the arm until I felt a hot whisper tickle my ear.

''Didn't I tell you…I have other plans for you.''

My heart jumped from the familiar voice.

 _It's…it's….him._

I felt something hard rub against my back.

An uncontrollable moan escaped my lips and my knees went weak.

 _It's him! It's him!_

However, as suddenly as he appeared...he disappeared...leaving me all alone in the darkness.

I awoke with a start.

I couldn't believe the dream I'd just seen!

Involuntary waves of hotness and embarrassment flooded my body...as well as disappointment.

That was the first time I truly realized...that something was going very _very_ wrong. . .

. . .

Shaking off the disturbing thought I got out of bed and proceeded to take a long shower.

The warm water helped to carry my worries away.

Feeling refreshed I started getting dressed, but this time I was much more aware of my appearance and all its flaws. I tried my best to look as decent as possible.

When I was finally satisfied, I left the bedroom and waited for Mr Owen outside the door.

This would be my third session with Jeff.

With any luck I might be able to get some information out of him however, so far that hasn't been going all that well. All I've learnt is that he pretty much likes to kill and dislikes people.

 _And then there's that weird dream I saw…_

I sighed.

''What's with the grumpy look so early in the morning?'' Mr Owen's cheerful voice approached me.

''Morning sir. I was just wondering if my sessions with Jeff have been any help…because it doesn't feel that way'' I admitted.

''OC. Jeff is the most challenging patient I've met in my entire career, the fact alone that he is finally somewhat cooperating with us is progress'' he assured and I nodded feeling a little bit better about the situation.

Mr Owen started walking down the corridor and I followed.

 _What he says is true._

 _I'm not a professional psychologist nor do I have any connection with Jeff other than that once incident._

 _It's highly unlikely that I'll be able to help him in any way…_

 _The best I can do right now is to follow instructions and avoid trouble until the month is over._

''Oh! That reminds me!'' Mr Owen spoke up ''before today's session I will take you to the canteen. Patients who've demonstrated reasonable behaviour are occasionally taken there to socialise and today it just so happens to be Jeff's turn.''

This piqued my interest.

''Isn't that dangerous?''

''It is, but they are kept under constant surveillance so incidents are very rare. Plus, patients are more prone to opening up to others like themselves you see.''

''I understand.''

I had previously visited a canteen in one of the bottom floors and it had indeed proven to be a good way to converse with patients, I suspect it won't be as easy with A class criminals though.

 _Either way, this should be interesting._

We arrived at a spacious room.

It looked like any normal canteen with the exception of multiple cameras and guards positioned in every corner of the room.

''Here we are. Jeff doesn't seem to be here yet so feel free to look around. You can grab something to eat if you like. I'll seek you out once he arrives'' Mr Owen said and then excused himself.

He walked over to a nearby table and sat next to one of the patients. I watched as he easily began a conversation. I couldn't help but admire him…

''Get out of the way'' a feminine voice barked.

I spun around to find a girl standing behind me, holding a tray of food.

 _I remember her! She's patient 166 Jane Arkensaw!_

''O-oh s-sorry'' I stuttered and quickly moved aside.

She rolled her eyes and made her way over to an empty table.

 _If I remember correctly, Mr Owen mentioned that she may hold a past connection with Jeff…if that's really the case I should go talk to her._

I swallowed and decided to give it a go. I walked over to her table and spoke.

''Would it be ok for me to sit here?''

She ignored me.

''I'll take that as a yes.''

I plopped down on the seat in front of her.

She was eating a strawberry yogurt.

To my dismay that's when my stomach decided to gurgle really loudly.

''Oops. I f-forgot to have breakfast…'' I gave an uncomfortable laugh clutching my stomach.

Jane wordlessly grabbed a banana from her tray and held it in front of me.

I took it from her with a quiet thank you and began to eat it. I almost choked from happiness though.

Once I finished the banana I spoke again.

''Thank you, I got the impression you didn't like me at first.''

''Oh don't misunderstand. I don't fucking like you at all, you just piss me off as all.''

''B-but why?''

''That's exactly why! You stutter and act like you're stupid. It reminds me of myself before-'' she stopped herself.

There was no going back though! This was so different from my conversations with Jeff, I couldn't believe how quickly she opened up to me. I couldn't let this chance pass by!

''Before what?''

''Wouldn't _you_ like to know…'' Jane huffed and grabbed her tray getting up.

I followed her.

''Please tell me. Why are you here?''

''I'm here because I'm a murderer, or are you really that ignorant?''

''No. I mean, why did you become one?''

She came to an abrupt stop almost making me collide with her and turned around glaring straight at me.

I waited for her to speak, but her eyes slowly moved to my left.

Her glare intensified.

''That's why…'' she growled and I turned my head following her line of vision. In the distance I noticed none other than Jeff standing in the doorway with nurses holding him.

''So it's true then? You know Jeff?'' I wondered.

''Hmph. The only part of me he'll ever have the pleasure of knowing is the sharp end of my knife'' she spoke putting her tray away ''why are you so curious anyway?''

''I'm-''

''-Here you are OC!'' I was interrupted by Mr Owen '' I was going to tell you that Jeff has arrived, but I see you waste no time'' he laughed ''greetings to you Jane.''

''I hope this is the day you're finally putting that bastard down Owen'' Jane snarled. It was painfully obvious that whatever relationship she previously had with Jeff wasn't a positive one...

''Sorry Jane, but it's quite the contrary. You may not believe it, but ever since he started having sessions with OC he has become more social. I think at this rate we might even see some progress'' Mr Owen said.

Jane exploded into loud high-pitched laughter.

''You've got to be kidding me. He's a monster! I'm willing to bet anything that if you take off his straitjacket and leave him alone with this scrawny bitch he'll kill her in seconds!'' she borderline screamed.

Mr Owen stayed silent while I felt offended at having been called a bitch.

''He already had a chance to kill me once before, but he didn't do it'' I pointed out with a frown.

Jane's laughter instantly died down.

She took a step closer to me and grabbed my face pulling me towards her.

'' _Reaaally?_ Then prove it to me. Prove. To. Me. that he has regained even the **slightest** bit of his humanity and I will tell you every single detail about how I came to know him'' she bargained.

''I-it's not m-my choice!'' I sputtered.

''Well what do _you_ say then, old man?'' she looked at Mr Owen squeezing my cheeks harder.

''First let go of her Jane''

She complied releasing me from her iron grip.

''I'll need to discuss this with others…OC it is best if you return to your room for the day, I will contact you before the day is over'' he said and then walked away.

Jane suddenly grabbed me once again wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace.

One of the guards instantly pointed his gun at her, its red laser aimed straight at where her heart was.

Alarmed, I tried to pry her away from me, but she only hung on tighter.

''W-w-what are you doing!?'' I exclaimed ''the guards are aiming at you! You're going to get shot!''

Not knowing what else to do, I crossed my arms in an X position over her back to try and stop the guard.

She chuckled and her grip relaxed.

''As I thought…you're a weird one'' she said fully releasing me ''in this situation you should've been worried about yourself, not me…''

She was instantly grabbed and dragged away by the guards.

Only then did I notice that she was holding a steel fork in one of her hands…

I stood there, completely confused.

 _Does this mean I have to walk back to my room on my own?_

. . .


	9. Chapter 8

After wasting about 5 minutes by standing around doing nothing I decided to listen to Mr Owen and return to my room, but not before grabbing some food.

It took me longer than usual but, I managed to locate my room.

Although I felt paranoid the entire way...as if somebody had been following me.

For the next 3 hours I occupied myself by eating, reading and noting down today's events.

I was certain of one thing though…Jane definitely knew Jeff and it's very possible that she holds important information on him.

I leaned my back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling.

 _This means that...to find out I'll have to stay in a room alone with Jeff and survive._

 _What if I don't get so lucky this time?_

 _Maybe it would be wiser to refuse and forget all about this?_

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock. Slowly, I climbed out of the bed and trotted towards the door.

As expected, Mr Owen stood there wearing a slightly troubled expression.

''OC. I need you to come with me please'' he said in a hurried tone.

''What's wrong?''

''I promise I'll explain everything, just come'' he ushered me and I did as asked.

We arrived at the place where I held my previous discussions with Jeff, only this time I was led into the neighboring room.

The room was small and dark, but filled with TVs which monitored the exchanges happening in the next door discussion room.

Two other adults wearing lab coats stood up and greeted me.

They all looked stressed as if they'd just been through an argument.

''What's going on?'' I inquired.

Mr Owen gave me a grave look.

Something was clearly off.

''Before that, have you thought about Jane's offer?''

''Yes, I have and I think…well h-honestly I don't know'' I sighed twiddling my fingers.

I really didn't want to disappoint My Owen, but this was just too dangerous...

''Nobody can blame you if you refuse, though I ask that you hear one more thing before you decide. Jeff has assaulted staff numerous times and caused multiple permanent injuries. This one instance he had somehow gotten hold of a syringe during an injection and stabbed it straight through a nurse's neck. Fortunately, she survived the attack however, he poses too much of a threat and has shown no signs of any improvement during these two years. We were informed that if he hurts another member of the faculty his treatment will be cut short and he will be executed…Jeff himself of course, is fully aware of this.''

''I see. So you're saying it's unlikely that he will attack me during our discussion then?''

''No, I am by no means trying to convince you to do it or suggesting that there's no danger. I'm just saying that this may have been the reason why he let you go the first time, I can't guarantee a second time though...''

I nodded.

 _So...he will be executed…_

''However, I must also point out that what I said to Jane wasn't a lie. Jeff does not hesitate, but he has changed these past few days. I've followed his progress from the very beginning and I dare say he appears to be interested in you.''

My stomach fluttered at the words.

''W-what do you mean?''

''I'm sorry'' he laughed ''let me rephrase that. I believe he is finally taking an interest in what we or _you_ in particular have to say. Whether that is due to something you've done or not I'm not sure, but _I am_ sure that what we are seeing is a change in his behaviour. Two weeks ago it would've been impossible to engage in any sort of conversation with him, but now he even initiates interaction himself!''

The two other professionals in the room nodded in agreement.

I looked over at one the TVs to see Jeff sitting from many different angles. He was still strapped to the chair and an professional-looking elderly man was sitting opposite of him. They appeared to be talking, but I couldn't hear what they were saying.

It was really hard to believe that I had been sitting there talking to Jeff too.

 _Do I really want it to end here? . . ._

 _. . .No._

''I understand. I'll do what I can'' I finally decided.

''Great! I'm glad... Jeff is actually next door right now talking to Sir Canndlecove, but before we plan our strategy there is one more thing you need to know'' My Owen mumbled scratching his head.

''What is it?''

''Remember Mr Aceberg? All this time he was being held in one of the spare bedrooms. We asked him to remain there until authority arrived to take care of the situation and he appeared to have no problem with it but...I was recently informed that he is nowhere to be found. We are on the lookout and I don't believe he poses any danger to us, but just as a safety measure I thought you should know that he could be somewhere in the hospital. He also is aware of every room number and camera location which makes him that much harder to locate.''

A cold shiver ran down my neck.

 _Hopefully, he isn't planning to go on a revengeful streak or anything._

"Police should be arriving in two days which is when I believe your visit comes to and end as well?''

I gave an affirmative nod. Only two days left...

''Anyhow, we should focus on the situation with Jeff first. I don't want to put you in any danger OC, but…Jane will be brought here and you can decide for yourself if her terms suit you.''

After approximately 6 minutes Jane arrived.

Her hands were handcuffed in front of her.

Mr Owen proceeded to discuss her offer with her.

They came to an agreement that if I stay in the room alone with Jeff for 10 minutes with his straitjacket off and come out alive she'd reveal every single detail about how she met him and all she knows about him.

My Owen tried to argue and stated that 10 minutes hardly make her sound confident of Jeff's inhumanity, but she refused to bargain any further.

''Well…I guess that's that. What do you say OC? The last word is yours'' Mr Owen asked.

I looked back at the TV.

Jeff's ghost white form rippled within the screen.

How I wished I could've reject Jane's proposal…there were only two days left before my departure and this was by no means an intelligent decision, but I wasn't going to lie to myself any longer.

 _I want to see him again..._

''Let's do it.''

Another 15 minutes passed.

Mr Owen appeared to be delighted with my decision and he briefly ran over all sorts of safety precautions that I should be aware of.

He also handed me a pepper spray 'just in case'.

I listened attentively though I was beginning to feel really anxious.

 _This could go extremely wrong…_

''-I believe that's all there is to know. Just try not to say anything to purposefully provoke him and I'm sure it will turn out well'' he finished giving my shoulder a light pat.

I placed the pepper spray in my coat pocket and made my way toward the door, but before my hand could grasp the handle Jane spoke up.

''I gotta admit, I didn't think you'd do it. I must say I'm impressed by your…' _bravery'_. Too bad this is the last time we'll see each other'' she spoke with a sly smile on her face.

A dreadful feeling twisted my stomach and for a second I almost lost my nerve, but before I could back out I was escorted outside by Mr Owen.

He walked with me and we stopped right outside the next room's door.

''This is it. Just imagine that he is still tied to the chair. With luck he'll never even move from it…there are guards outside after all'' he pointed at a heavily armed guard standing nearby.

His words did very little to comfort me, but there was no going back now.

 _If worst comes to worst I'm sure I can buy myself a minute or two, I'm not completely useless at fighting after all._

 _Let's just hope that won't be necessary._

. . .

Mr Owen left and I lightly knocked on the door.

Not expecting a response I slowly opened it and walked inside.

Jeff was sitting in his usual chair staring right at me and Mr Canndlecove was gone...as was Jeff's straitjacket.

His arms freely rested on top of the table.

An A class criminal. . .

. . .was in no way restrained.

I did a double take on my stupidity before cautiously approaching the chair to sit down.

''Oh? No greetings this time?'' Jeff cooed ''could it be that there's something…frightening you?''

He raised his arms and stretched cracking his back in the process, as if to emphasize his point.

I sat down, cleared my throat and began flipping through the papers on my notepad.

''Well…I'd be lying if I said no. I'm nervous, but I hope that this will not spoil our discussion. I actually have a personal question for you today.''

He bent his head to one side '' _really now_? Go ahead then.''

I considered him.

He appeared to be in a calm mood today and I hoped he'd stay that way for as long as possible.

''Actually, I was wondering why you wanted to hold these discussions with _me_ in the first place. _Why me_ , why not someone else?'' I asked trying to sound as neutral as possible.

Jeff took a sharp breath making me jump ''you know, that's what they _always_ say… **'why me'** …I never quite understood the question myself.''

I immediately realized that he was referring to his victims and glared at his amused looking face.

 _Not a hint of remorse..._

 _Sicko..._

What happened next made me freeze.

Without a single care, Jeff stood up and walked towards one of the cameras in the upper corner of the room.

I sat as still as a brick, watching his every move.

He shifted his weight from one foot to another staring right at the camera.

He was unexpectedly tall and his legs were really long. It would be a safe bet to assume his entire body was athletic too.

 _Probably from avoiding capture for so long..._

I wondered how and where he hid all that time. What did he do? How did he survive?

His life must've been completely unimaginable to someone like me, who grew up within comfort and safety.

...This was my first time seeing him stand as well.

 _Apart from in my dream that is_ \- - - -

My body instantly flushed from the memory.

I slapped my flaming cheeks feeling like an utter idiot.

 _Snap out of it!_

Jeff whipped around and I instantly straightened my spine gawking at him as if I'd been caught with my pants down.

After a short awkward pause, he began walking toward me.

I felt like a deer caught in headlights.

Upon reaching the table, he placed two fingers on top of it sweeping them along with him across the smooth wooden surface.

Closer and closer…

He was a foot or two away from me when his hand flew up from the table and landed on the top rail of my chair.

He walked around, standing right behind me and gripped the other side of the chair with his free hand.

About 4 or 5 minutes had passed since I'd entered the room, there was no way Mr Owen would interfere.

 _I'll need to handle this situation myself!_

My hand traveled to my pocket and clutched the pepper spray. I had no idea what to expect though...

I could feel a force pull my weight backwards.

''Do you remember what I told you before?-''

He kept pulling the chair downwards. Its front legs parted from the floor and my feet dangled in the air.

The gravity shifted until I was practically lying on the chair instead of sitting on it.

Jeff leaned over.

His face emerged right above mine.

Raven hair tickled my cheeks as he stared down at me with an unblinking gaze.

It was so disturbing and yet so...close.

''-I have other plans for you…'' he purred with a wide cheshire grin.

Only a hands reach away...

. . .


	10. Chapter 9

Our position made me feel extremely vulnerable, so I tried to look anywhere except his face.

I was in the middle of plotting an escape plan when one of Jeff's hands crept down my arm sending my body into a whirlwind of emotions.

It slid into my lab coat's pocket.

Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, his cold fingers closed around my fist and yanked it out of the pocket.

The fist which just so 'happened' to be clutching pepper spray.

 _He knew..._

''…What's this?'' he brought my hand up to his face, pretending to examine it ''what could you possibly want to use _this_ for? Hmm?''

One by one he unwrapped my fingers from the tiny bottle, took it out of my palm and tossed it across the room.

''Now that that's out of the way…how about we get back to the questions?'' he said releasing my hand and began patting through the fabric of my lab-coat most likely looking for any other hidden weapons.

 _Alright...focus…_

 _We only have 5 or 6 minutes left, I'll go along with it for now._

I closed my eyes and tried to visualize the questions in my mind.

 _Step 22 was…something about...sleeping patters._

''Um...how are you sleeping these days?'' I managed to choke out. The words sounded extremely unnatural and forced, but it was uncomfortable to speak when our faces were only inches apart.

Jeff stopped moving. He appeared to be taken aback by the question.

''How **_do_** people...fall asleep?''

This confused me.

''W-well, it's hard to explain. You just... **go to sleep** '' I mumbled.

He stared at me for what felt like an eternity before finally breaking the silence.

''That's what I told mommy and daddy...''

''D-do you miss them? Your family'' I pressed, but instantly regretting wagging my tongue.

 _Ugh! I couldn't have possibly asked a more insensitive question!_

I expected to get my eyeballs gouged out or something, but instead…his pale eyes turned glassy.

''-Liu…''

A barely audible ghost of a whisper crossed my ears.

His face expression didn't change, but his fingers dug into my lab coat squeezing like only someone trying to tolerate unbearable pain would.

To my utter shock, a single tear escaped his eye splashing across my cheek...many more followed.

My heart leaped.

 _Nooo! No no no!_

 _What's happening!?_

 _He doesn't feel guilt! He shouldn't feel sad!_

 _This can't be real…_

 _Is this…another dream?_

 _It has to be!_

...I don't know what took over me, but at that moment all my senses blurred and the only thing I could feel was an overwhelming **urge** to…...to make everything ok.

Instinctively, my hands moved up to his face and began wiping the tears away.

Before I even knew it…I was pulling his head down…..

I wanted to…taste him.

. . .

My lips brushed against his.

It felt like nothing more than a mere tickle.

I needed more. . .

Without wasting another second, I leaned in…locking my hot lips with his icy ones.

The coldness started to melt away.

 _What am I doing? Is this considered sexual assault?_

 _Well...if this is a dream…then why not?_

I pulled his head closer deepening the kiss and even dared to nibble on his bottom lip.

The feeling was electric.

My body was nearly burning up by now.

I parted my lips from his and placed a trail of light kisses across his stitched cheek.

It felt so real.

Too real…

All of a sudden he jerked back and violently split his mouth open causing the stitches on both sides of his cheeks to tear open.

The metallic smell of blood filled my nostrils as a current of crimson blood flowed from his scarred cheeks.

He smashed his lips against mine causing fresh blood to fill my mouth and throat. Much to my horror, that's when the reality of the situation decided to come flooding back.

Regaining my rationality I recoiled, pushing his face away.

I coughed and sputtered trying to get the burning taste of blood out of my throat when-

 **BBBBBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!**

A bone chilling sound shook the entire building.

 _Was that an earthquake?_

 _An explosion!?- - -_ **CRASH!**

 **BANG!**

Loud noises of guns being fired filled the air.

The lights began flickering and then everything turned black with the exception of a faint green glow coming from the emergency evacuation signs.

I panicked, taking short shallow breaths and wiping blood away from my chin.

 _What's going on...?_

Before my eyes could properly adjust to the darkness I was seized by the upper arms, hauled out of the chair and thrown to the corner of the room.

I hit my head against the wall and saw thousands of little stars spin.

Thankfully, I was only stunned for a brief moment.

I opened my eyes in time to see a fuzzy shape burst through the door.

There were now two figures standing in the faint green light of the room, facing each other.

One of them was Jeff and the other...Jane.

She no longer had her handcuffs on and was holding a bloodied knife.

''Well…well…well…here I was, hoping that you finally got your ass locked away for good, but as always you never cease to amaze me! Especially that 'making out with the little bitch before sending her and this entire place to hell' part!'' she spat with venom lacing her every word.

''Just get to the fucking point will you stalker bitch'' Jeff snapped with an equal amount of hatred.

''I never expected you to get caught you know! I had to ruin my image and come here for you. Do you have _any idea_ how embarrassing that was!? To have to play harmless little Jane card with these useless pieces of trash - all for the sake of ending your pathetic life!?''

Jane broke into hysterical laughter and plunged her knife at Jeff.

He sidestepped, grabbing hold of her arm and pushing her forward, but she managed to stop herself in time and twist in a half-circle swinging her knife-wielding arm at his head.

Without a second to spare, Jeff crouched down dodging the attack and then smashed his fist straight into her face sending her flying into the table.

Jane crumpled to the ground dropping the knife with a loud clank.

Jeff walked over to it and picked it up.

''I'll be taking this bitch.''

Goose bumps crawled all over my skin and I pushed myself deeper into the corner.

This dream…was quickly turning into a nightmare. 

The knife glistened within Jeff's hand reflecting a sickly green glow into my eyes.

I wrapped my arms around myself and watched as he slowly began to turn around.

 _Is he going to kill me…?_

He took a step forward and I curled into a ball trying to isolate myself from this.

 _There were only 3 days left!_

. . .

. . .I waited for something – anything – to happen, but all I got was silence.

I glanced up and to my astonishment he was nowhere to be seen.

Jane was still lying on the floor.

A good many minutes must've passed before I finally managed to recollect myself enough to move.

With trembling knees I got up and stumbled toward the door.

Everything was black.

 _How could this be? Did the entire asylum have a power outage?_

 _Or…is this planned?_

I shook the terrifying thought away.

 _First I have to find Mr Owen!_

Hugging the wall I approached the next door room.

 _Please be there…_

I pushed the door, but something was blocking it, so I pushed harder until a terrible suspicion entered my mind. Praying for it not to be true, I looked through the tiny gap.

Unfortunately I was right..

The body of one of the staff members was lying in front of the door…in a puddle of thick blood.

From what I could make out, there were several fatal stab wounds covering him. He was most likely dead...

''. . .''

I walked backwards until my back hit the wall.

Slowly, I moved a hand up to my face and flexed my fingers to check if this was real.

... _What am I supposed to do now?_

 _Where do I go?_

''-YOU!'' an enraged voice roared startling me out of my thoughts.

My intuition screamed for me to move.

I jumped to the left just in time to avoid a chair that was aimed at me.

It shattered against the wall.

I pushed myself up to see Jane sprinting toward me.

Automatically my hand wrapped around a loose chair leg and I threw it at her.

She was forced to shield her face with her arms and that gave me just enough time to scramble to my feet and get the hell out of there.

I ran deeper into the dark corridor.

 _If this blackout is really all part of an escape plan, then soon enough there will be A class murderers littering these halls and this place will turn into a blood bath..._

 _For now, my safest bet is to get outside and hide in the woods._

 _The police should arrive in three days, if I could jus-_

Out of nowhere someone crossed my path and I collided with them crashing to the ground.

I immediately tried getting back up, but a heavy weight straddled me pushing me down by the shoulders.

The person muffled my face with some sort of a cloth and I gasped, inhaling an overwhelming scent of strong alcohol.

My body felt it was falling asleep. . .

Slowly, my consciousness faded away. 


	11. Chapter 10

I awoke to the sound of tapping.

I stirred and immediately realized that I was tied to something, most likely a chair.

Even though I opened my eyes, everything remained black.

''Awake at last!'' a familiar voice sung.

My head throbbed.

I could not recall what had happened, but the voice was all too familiar.

''Mr Aceberg?''

''Bingo! Well, since you've figured out my identity, there's no longer any need for this!'' he said and pulled something which I assumed was used as a blindfold, away from my eyes.

I squinted, trying to remember how I got here.

The room was small, dark and empty with the exception of a few boxes stacked in the corner.

 _I remember…a loud explosion-like sound and the lights going off. I was running and then…someone placed a rag over my mouth!_

''What do you want from me? Something terrible is happening! We need to find Mr Owen!'' I panicked.

 _What does he intend to achieve by kidnapping me!?_

''Oh that's right. Don't worry about the lights, it's my doing. It makes the situation all the more romantic, wouldn't you agree?''

''W-what!? What are you talking about? People are getting killed out there!''

His face morphed into a twisted smile.

''I know~! Isn't that great?! You have no idea how long I've waited for this…'' he whispered ''you know, since you're here I think you have the right to know. My plan is to burn this entire place to the ground, along with the people of course and as for you… You will not be leaving this room.''

A sense of dread washed over me.

''What do you mean?''

He walked over to one of the boxes and began rummaging through it.

A short while later I heard him breathe a quiet 'aha' signalling that he found what he was looking for.

He walked back to me with a handsaw at hand. 

''I gotta say…you slept for ages! I was beginning to think you didn't intend to wake up, but that would be no good. We need to have our fun first!'' he chirped in the most sickening tone and then crouched down in front of me.

''Hmm…where should I start? The hand?'' he spoke, moving the saw to my wrist ''or the fingers?'' he moved it down to my knuckles.

I stiffened.

 _…Is he planning to…..n-no….no way._

''L-let me go!'' I tried breaking loose, but the ropes were too tight.

''Tsk tsk tsk. Didn't I tell you? You're not leaving this place. Oh, but of course you didn't listen to me. No one ever listens to me! That's why this place needs to get cleansed!'' he spoke and pressed the handsaw to my left collar bone.

Much to my dismay he applied force and slowly dragged it down, cutting through the flesh.

Blood streamed down my shoulder.

''It hurts! Doing this won't bring your family back!'' I cried.

He moved the saw a little distance to the left and carved another vertical cut.

''Huh? What makes you think I'd ever want to bring that ugly whore of a wife back? OH-!'' he clutched his stomach and began laughing ''I forgot to tell you!''

He moved to my eye level.

''It wasn't Jeff who killed my family. Oh no, that bastard's just easy to blame and fun to annoy. If you only knew how many times I've beat him in attempt to get a reaction out of him, but gotten nothing. He is a true psycho that one! Haha! But back to the topic at hand! It was me! I killed them! I thought it would've been pretty obvious by now, but hey, no worries. I guess you're not the sharpest tool in the box!'' he wiggled the saw in my face.

Even though he was making puns, I could tell he was serious.

He was planning to kill me.

. . .

He pressed the saw to my thigh and cut a light gash.

I cried out in pain.

''Shhhh…'' he moved the saw lower and did it again and again until my leg went numb.

He repeated the same process on my other thigh.

I began feeling lightheaded.

A stinging sensation pulsed through my arms and legs.

I briefly opened my eyes, to see a sadistic look of pleasure on Aceberg's face.

 _Hopefully I'll die from blood loss soon. . ._

As if sensing my thoughts, the pain stopped and Aceberg moved away.

''Oki doki! Time out! That's enough for now. Wouldn't want you dying before I've had a chance to sever a limb or two, now would I?''

I looked down at my body.

Hundreds of ugly, ragged cuts decorated my arms and legs.

The once clean white fabric of the lab coat was now tattered and bloodied.

Before long everything faded back to black.

Some time later.

I opened my eyes.

At first I felt nothing, but then immense pain sent a shock through my system.

I bolted up, but didn't get very far as I was still tied to the chair.

''Whoa, easy there'' I heard Aceberg's voice ''I wouldn't move too much if I were you... By the way...you really have a knack for sleeping, don't you?''

I tried to speak, but my throat was extremely dry so the sound that left my mouth was similar to an animal-like wail.

''Poor thing. Here'' he pressed a cup of something against my lips, but I refused to drink ''ok have it your way…'' he threw the cup away.

''…I have a question'' I wheezed.

''Sure, go on ahead! I promise to answer honestly, since it's your last wish and all!'' he chirped.

''How long was have I been here?''

''Hmm…about a day or two.''

''You're lying! There's no way!''

''Enough chit-chat. I have other fish to fry, so let's get this over with shall we!?''

He left and minutes later returned with a syringe in his hand.

The needle pierced my skin and I felt a cold fluid enter my vein.

''How does it feel to be on the receiving end hmm? Anyway…while you were asleep I grew a little bored, so I prepared a little present for you-'' he grabbed the chair and spun it around ''-look!''

Everything seemed to stop at that moment.

Deadly stillness...

There, in the center of the room...lied three bodies piled on top of one another.

Aceberg walked over to them and kicked the top person off.

I recognized all of them.

Rick, Lauren and another student who sat in front of me on the bus.

 _Are they dead?_

 _How could this be..?_

''Hold on, seems like one is still twitching'' Aceberg piped up.

He bent down and grabbed a fistful of blonde hair, pulling Lauren up.

She screeched in pain.

''Oh dear, it's not nice to pretend. People will think you're fake! What do you say I _really_ make you dead?''

I noticed that her throat had been slit with every intention to kill. It must've not been deep enough though.

''Please! NO! Please don't! Please! I'll do anythin'! PLEASE LET ME GO!'' she begged.

Aceberg smiled.

''This is what I like to hear! When they're quiet, it's hardly fun. Actually, I just got a brilliant idea. How about all three of us play as little game?''

He walked up to me, dragging Lauren along by the hair.

''You said you'd do anything…so…I want you to take this...and kill her!'' he spoke holding a small pocket knife in front of Lauren's face.

With shaky hands she grasped the thin object and then stood up weakly walking over to me.

I closed my eyes.

''I c-c-can't….'' I heard her whimper.

''Sorry, but no can'ts. It's either her or you''

 _Even if she kills me, he won't let her go..._

 _What do I do?_

To my surprise, the rope on my left wrist loosen.

I instantly snapped my eyes open to see Lauren cutting through the rope.

''What are you-''

''-Run! Get out of here!'' she screamed, quickly cutting my legs loose.

Aceberg released a loud growl and charged at her knocking her to the ground.

My chair also fell backwards.

I wiggled, struggling to get free.

The cuts on my arms and legs were still raw and moving hurt like a bitch.

I heard Lauren make a loud gurgling sounds.

''Stop it! Please don't hurt her!'' I wailed using all of my strength to break free.

Finally, the ropes loosened enough for me to crawl away from the chair.

I looked back to see a horrendous sight.

Aceberg was sitting on top of Lauren with his arms around her throat.

She was limp.

He'd strangled her…

I noticed the pocket knife lying a few feet away from where I stood.

In a split second, I made the decision to go for it. My hand grabbed the small object and then I spun on my heels and ran like my life depended on it...because it did.

I ran past the bodies and towards the only door located in the far left.

I don't know if it was due to unreal luck or Aceberg's carelessness, but the door was unlocked, so I ripped it open and used all of my remaining energy to sprint away.

After what felt like an eternity of running I noticed that nobody was following me.

I slowed down.

Adrenaline faded and I instantly felt pain burn my lungs.

I limped to a nearby corner and slid down the wall.

 _Only…for…a second…_

I closed my eyes, gasping for air.

...My mind couldn't accept what I just underwent.

 _I need to keep moving._

Clutching the pocketknife, I staggered back up to my feet.

 _Where am I?_

 _I don't remember seeing this place before…_

Just as I was about to start walking, I heard a low rumbling sound in the distance.

I looked back the way I came.

In the distance, starving red flames that covered the entire corridor were quickly approaching me, like a tsunami.

I ran.

And ran.

And ran.

But I wasn't quick enough.

The heat closed in on me and soon enough the walls were engulfed in flames.

Left, right…straight ahead.

There was no way out.

Black smoke filled my lungs...

I came across another fork road and made a sharp turn to the left.

The ground bellow me collapsed and I went pummeling down.

I landed on the ground and countless boulders rained down upon me.

. . .I wished I could wake up from this nightmare…but the pain crushing my left leg was ever so real.

 _It's probably broken_ _…_

I cringed, biting back tears.

 _How long can I keep this up...?_

 _I'm so tired…_

When I came to, instant anger filled me.

 _How many times am I going to lose consciousness!?_

My nostrils, mouth and tongue were filled with dry dirt.I coughed my lungs out, barely being able breathe.

To say I felt like shit would be an understatement.

In such a small period of time, I faced more hardships that I had in my entire life.

I painfully pushed my front half up.

The entire area was now covered in wild, red flames.

Blood and sweat tickled down my forehead flowing into my eyes.

Everything around me turned red.

 _I'm trapped in a nightmare..._

. . .

The sound of shouting filled the air.

My stomach flipped and I pressed myself as close to the ground as I could.

I watched as a group of people emerged opposite of me. There were five or six of them. I assumed that they weren't members of the staff based on the way they looked: tattoos, piercings and bulk.

One of the men shouted orders to the others and then attempted to descend a large staircase.

 _There was a staircase here!?_

The staircase was covered in gaping holes however, they managed to safely reach the other side.

 _Is that the way out?_

I could hear loud explosions all around me.

The flames were gradually getting hotter.

 _Aceberg really is planning to burn this place down…_

 _I need to get out!_

I managed to somehow get up and brushed the rubble away from me.

My left leg was absolutely unresponsive...but thankfully I didn't feel any pain.

Clutching the fabric of my trousers, I lifted the broken leg up and hopped forward.

With unimaginable effort, I managed to descend the stairs.

The ceiling was crumbling down.

Heavy boulders were falling all around me.

At any time one of them could hit me and end me right there…

I had never pictured myself in such a situation, so the only thing I could do was keep moving.

 _I wonder if Mr Owen and…Jeff escaped. . ._

There was a large open double-door in front of me, everything beyond it looked black.

I stopped for a second, catching my breath.

That's when I noticed the numerous bodies scattered on the floor.

Bodies of the men I'd seen upstairs and many more that I didn't recognize.

All of them had gaping bullet holes in their skulls...

''OC!? Is that you!?'' I heard a voice come from my left. I looked in the direction it came from.

Mr Owen and four other staff members stood before a closed door.

Guards dressed in black surrounded them.

''OC! Quickly! Come here, it's safe here!'' Mr Owen shouted waving his arm at me.

 _Did they…shoot all these patients?_

Mr Owen kept shouting and motioning for me to come over, but I couldn't.

Something was off...

I noticed more patients climbing down the staircase, but before they could even reach the bottom, the guards shot all of them down.

I was horror struck.

''What are you doing!? It's dangerous! Come here, NOW!'' Mr Owen shouted.

I couldn't move.

Suddenly the door on the opposite side of the large room burst open with a loud thud and the body of a guard went flying through it.

There was a knife sticking out of his helmet.

Jeff walked through the door effortlessly retrieving the blade from the corpse.

He was soaked in blood.

More shots echoed through the open space and bodies rolled down the staircase.

Jeff's eyes locked with expression was indifferent.

''It's number 165! Quickly, immobilize him!'' I heard Mr Owen order.

Everything that followed seemed to happen in slow motion.

The guards pointed their guns at Jeff.

Green lasers covered his abdomen.

Before I could stop myself I got in the range of the guns, blocking their aim.

''What are you doing you stupid girl? Have you lost your mind!? MOVE!'' Mr Owen shouted ''move… **or we'll shoot!** ''

I spread my arms out.

''You were supposed to help…we-...were supposed to help them!'' I sobbed.

 _He killed all these people!_

 _It's would've been better to allow them to escape instead of murdering them!_

 _How could Mr Owen do this...?_

''Fine...shoot her!'' Mr Owen ordered.

I waited, but none of the guards moved.

''What are you doing? SHOOT HER! We can't let him escape!'' he screamed pulling a gun away from one of the guards.

A shot rang through the silence and my left arm fell limp to my side.

The sudden impact, made me fall to my knees.

Mr Owen had shot me…through the left shoulder.

 _How could he?_

I looked up at him to see a stone cold look on his face.

He raised his arm and opened his mouth ready to open fire, but he was shot dead before any words left his mouth.

One of the staff members had shot him through the head.

She was holding a small revolver and began shooting everyone around her.

The situation was getting too much to handle…

I looked down at the ground to see a crimson reflection of myself in the pool of my own blood.

I stared at it.

 _I didn't know blood could reflect_ _...I look horrible..._

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

My previously hot and sweaty body started turning cold.

I focused on the heavy, slow pumping of my heart.

Like thunder in my chest.

 _How come I never appreciated the beauty of this sound before…_

Tears ran down my face and black dots overwhelmed my vision.

I was just about to fall asleep, when a familiar face appeared next to me in the puddle of blood.

Everything faded to black.

 **3** **rd** **person POV.**

October 21st - 1:21am -

Bitewood Asylum. 

It was the dead of the night.

Not a single star in the sky.

Thick trees surrounded the scene, watching the formerly grand building light up like a torch.

Crackling and crumbling sounds were the only sounds indicative of the chaos within.

In the midst of the smoke a figure emerged.

Blood dripped down his lean frame and with every step he took, he left a bloody footprint behind.

He wasn't alone though.

…He carried someone in his arms.

Calmly, he walked past the gate and set the girl's body onto the ground.

A twig snapped and the man's head shot up.

 **''It's about time...Are you ready to join us…?''** an unknown voice spoke from within the trees…

The male didn't reply, silently looking down at the girl.

Blue and red lights came into view and the sound of sirens followed.

By the time police cars and the ambulance arrived, the raven haired male was long gone.


	12. The Final Chapter

A few months later.

 **Beep**

 **Beep**

I peeled my eyes open.

A blindingly bright light brought tears to my sore eyelids and my mouth felt as dry as a desert.

Everything else past my neck felt numb.

 **Beep**

As my body began slowly regaining its senses, a terrible pain penetrated my skull...like someone had taken a huge brick and smashed it against my head.

 **Beep**

Next came…immense confusion.

One thing became obvious though.

 _I'm in a hospital._

Something had gone terribly wrong...

 _But what? What in the world happened?_

 _How did I get here?_

I tried to remember, but the headache was too overwhelming.

 **Beep**

Something cold and wet flew down my nose and lips.

 _A nosebleed_...

 **Beep**

While I sat there sniffing, a nurse entered the room.

She immediately ran up to me and told me to lie back and relax, but how could I do that?

 **Beep**

I couldn't remember anything past my 15th birthday...

 **Beep**

Not a single thing.

 **Beep**

 **3rd Person POV.**

 **Beep**

 **Beep**

 **Beep**

The hospital room was spacious, but its cream colored walls and limp white curtains gave it a dull appearance.

In one of the three white beds laid a girl.

 **Beep**

Her body including her head was wrapped in bandages and an IV drip was pierced into her vein.

The large casts supporting her left arm and leg were indicative of broken bones.

 **Beep**

Even though her eyes were half-open, she appeared to be staring into nothingness.

Her look was…empty, unfocused…as dull as the room itself.

 **Beep**

The only audible sound was the steady beeping of the colorful heart monitor until the door slid open and two adult women entered the room.

One of them appeared to be a nurse while the other was a much more mature looking, professionally dressed woman.

Her static face showed traces of stress lines which were accentuated by her frown.

The woman was her mother.

She approached the girl's bed and looked at her with disappointment.

''It's time to go.''

One week later.

The day was miserable.

Heavy grey clouds hovered above, completely obscuring the sun and thick fog crawled across the wet pavement.

It swirled and twirled every time a chilly breeze ran through it.

Skinny, tall trees stood their ground on the roadway observing a lonely jeep roll by.

There were boxes tied to its roof, holding on for dear life.

Droplets of water began relentlessly crashing against the vehicle.

On the backseat of the car sat the girl from before with eyes as empty as before.

Her mother sat in the front alongside her father who was gripping the wheel.

''I expect you to behave well'' spoke her mother ''it's bad enough to have to take care of a fully grown daughter with a brain damage, don't you dare embarrass me in front of my mother in law.''

The girl simply nodded in response.

She was used to her mother's strict attitude and her father's indifference.

The only thing bothering her were the lost memories...

She had laid in the hospital for three and a half months, but had no recollection of how she got there.

This meant that she onlu knew what other people told her.

So far she only knew that she'd gone on a trip to a prestigious asylum, but on the last day - 21st October- the entire building had burnt down to the ground due to an unknown cause.

There were traces of gunfire found in the remains as well as...her shoulder, which led police to believe that the incident was an inside job.

It is speculated that many of the prisoners managed to escape that day, although she was the only known survivor thus far…

The entire situation was weird.

It bothered her...

She felt like…she'd lost something very important. . .something _more_ than memory.

The jeep pulled into a driveway and the girl carefully climbed out of the car.

Her father handed her a single crutch, it helped her walk properly.

The mother rung the doorbell and an elderly lady opened the door inviting the three into the house.

The girl's father and mother ha to leave that same evening, but the girl was always happy to stay with her grandmother.

However, this time she felt more alone than ever...

From time to time her grandmother would bring up the incident and comment on how horrible it must've been, but it was hard to care for people she'd never met. Or at least...didn't remember meeting.

To her it was only another story on the news.

She didn't feel any personal involvement.

Even so, every day the girl would sit alone and try her best to recall something – anything – with no result.

No real memories ever resurfaced, but life still coninued.

Hours, days and weeks passed.

The girl gave up on trying to forcefully remember and redirected her energy to other things such as catching up on 2 years of lost schoolwork.

And yet…a strange feeling of emptiness ate away at her.

The feeling of missing something or…someone…important.

The answer constantly seemed to linger on the tip of her tongue and yet completely out of reach.

''OC dear, can you come here for a moment!?'' grandmother called.

OC placed the book she'd been reading aside and entered the kitchen.

''You called?''

''Could you be a sweetheart and hop to the store for me? I forgot to buy flour, but I can't leave the kettle alone'' her grandmother pleaded.

OC wanted to argue and complain that she'd literally have to 'hop' to the shop, but she swallowed back her protests settling on a frustrated sigh.

 _The shop isn't that far anyway…_

She grabbed her crutch and was on her way.

The weather was lovely. Not.

It had been raining all day so the streets were completely wet, slippery and cold.

Thankfully the rain had subsided, but it was starting to grow dark.

OC stretched her right arm, deciding to take a shortcut through the park.

Even though she didn't remember anything from the events that left her with a broken leg and a bullet wound through the shoulder...there were noticeable changes in her behavior like being jumpier, not wanting to go outside and becoming less social…

She looked up at the lush, green trees and took a deep breath.

The park was quiet and peaceful.

It felt weird to have lost two years of her life and yet…she wondered if perhaps it was for the best.

What if she unconsciously blocked out the traumatic events to **protect** herself?

 _'Do I even want to remember?'_

 _'Maybe this is for the best?'_

 _'Was I given a chance to start over..?'_

 **Bump!** \- ''A-ah!''

A sudden impact sent OC flailing backwards.

She lost hold of her crutch, ungracefully landing with her ass in a puddle.

The park turned eerily dark...

''S-sorry'' OC stuttered, but did not receive any type response from the culprit who simply stood before her.

She tried getting up from the ground, but it proved harder than expected.

The wet cast refused to bend to her will, so she ended up squirming around like a fish on land.

To her surprise, the stranger bent down and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her up.

Unfortunately, he'd grabbed the injured arm...

OC tried her best to not cringe from the sharp pain in her shoulder, before awkwardly thanking him.

To her surprise, the man did not let go of her.

She took a moment to have a better look at him.

He looked rather intimidating.

He was very tall and slim, wearing tight black pants and a white hoodie.

His skin was startlingly white, a complete contrast to the raven hair.

She couldn't see the face behind all that hair, but...he was wearing a…surgical mask.

''I-I'I'm sorry…but d-do I k-know you?'' the girl stuttered attempting to pull her arm away, but his grip didn't loosen.

He didn't reply.

OC tried to keep her composure, but was growing increasingly anxious.

''Could you…please let go? I need to go buy some flour..'' she smiled, but it proved futile.

Instead of letting go, he started laughing with a voice that sounded like a rusty swing in an abandoned playground…and yet…so familiar….

The worry on her face became painfully obvious, but the man didn't seem to care. In fact..his laughter only grew louder.

''HAhahaha! I'm hurt! I didn't think you'd forget me _this_ quickly considering how… _close_ we were….'' the words smoothly rolled down his tongue and he leaned in, only inches away from her face.

From this distance the girl could see his eyes.

 _'He's dangerous...'_

She was about to scream, but the man released her arm and covered her mouth.

'' _Shhhhhh_ …..come with me…'' he whispered and the girl's anxiety skyrocketed.

She tried to scream and cuss him out, but her words were muffled by his ice-cold hand…

She continued squirming until a large kitchen knife appeared in her line of vision making her fall mute.

''That's better. Now come'' his hand slid down from her face and grasped her wrist.

He dragged her deeper into the park.

A million dreadfilled thoughts crossed the girl's mind when they arrived at a small clearing.

It didn't take long or her to notice the man lying on top of a nearby rubbish bin…as well as the pool of blood around him….

He was wearing a tattered white lab coat and had ash brown hair which was combed to the side.

His body was covered with burns and stab wounds.

OC turned stiff from terror.

The raven haired male ordered her to stay where she is and she didn't dare disobey.

She watched as he walked up to the middle aged man's body and raised his knife up in the air plunging it down into the already dead man's back.

He repeated the action a couple of times before pulling the bloody knife out of the corpse and walking back to where she stood, stopping a mere foot away.

She stood still while he slowly wiped the bloody blade across her cheeks.

''So…how do you like my reunion present? Beautiful, isn't he?'' he asked as if it was the most innocent question in the world.

In place of words, the girl's teeth started clattering.

She flinched when he raised his fingers to his mask and moved it away from his lips revealing the carved smile...

''Anyway…he and I have played enough. I think it's now your turn to-'' before he could even finish the sentence, OC whirled around and hopped away as fast as her leg could carry her.

She didn't get very far though, because her cast dragged her down eventually causing her to trip and land on her hands and knees.

She attempted to rip it off, but wasn't quick enough.

The psychotic man emerged from behind a tree with that…insane smile on his face.

The sky had long since turned black...and a lone streetlight was the only source of light which illuminated his monstrous frame.

Their eyes met and something about his face expression changed.

He was still grinning, but...it felt different.

''Hmm…you keep shaking…how boring. You almost had my hopes up you bitch…'' he spat moving closer and closer to the trembling girl.

''Y-you m-make n-n-no sense! What hopes!? I h-haven't seen you before in my life! You're insane!'' she screamed as tears flooded her eyes.

The man paused ''…and you're pointing out the obvious~!'' he laughed and stood there for a moment..almost expectantly.

The pause didn't last long though and he soon resumed his advance.

OC closed her eyes and shielded her face, but the male grabbed her by the collar and hauled her up, holding her mid-air.

 _I'm going to die!_

''. . .''

All of a sudden, she was forcefully thrown back to the ground.

She hit her head against the cold gravel, the shock sent the world spinning, but she could still make out the crazy man's retreating figure.

He disappeared into the darkness, leaving her alone.

Relief washed over her, but then...a different feeling became dominant .

A hot, screaming sensation of...fear.

 _But…what's there to be scared of? He's gone! I need to run!_

She couldn't understand, but with every second that she remained on the ground…the feeling grew stronger.

The crunching of leaves was gone and her wild breathing had been reduced to small huffs of breath.

...

'H _ow could I...forget?'_

...

''JEFF! WAIT!''

She fumbled up to her feet, hopping in the direction he'd left.

''WAIT! DON'T LEAVE ME! PLEAASse!''

She passed Aceberg's dead body.

''WHERE ARE YOU!? Where-'' she choked on her own screams.

''…Behind you.''

The voice startled her.

She spun around coming face to face with an A class murderer.

While a normal person would've been freaked out of their mind -just like she had been a while ago- there was _something_ about him that pulled her in.

That ' _something_ ' was by no means acceptable, healthy or even sane…but it _was_ …and that's what matters.

She extended her arms and moved forward, embracing him with all her strength.

What she didn't see was...Jeff raising his knife and pressing it against her back…

...One movement of his hand and the blade would slide right through her heart...but neither of them moved and silence ensued.

. . .

Finally, Jeff moved the knife away letting his arm fall to his side.

His other arm moved to the small of her back pulling her even closer.

''Until…death do us part…then'' he said and began laughing like a maniac, but the sound was music to her ears.

She wouldn't lie to herself no longer...

She found him and no matter what follows...be it luck or misfortune…she would never let him go again.

 ** _'Even if…_**

 ** _It costs me…my sanity. ….'_**

 _The End...for now._


End file.
